


in the dark we dance together

by buddiebuddie



Series: white house AU [6]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: M/M, President Evan Buckley, Special Agent Eddie Diaz, White House AU, this might get changed to explicit ??? stay tuned lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:09:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27221749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buddiebuddie/pseuds/buddiebuddie
Summary: Eddie leans over to get a look at the screen, resting his head on Buck’s shoulder. “You’re shopping for Animal Crossing Halloween costumes,” Eddie says, matter-of-fact, his voice thick with sleep. “At three in the morning.”“I told you to go back to sleep,” Buck says in his own defense. “I promised Chris I would help him find the best Timmy costume there is.”Eddie presses a kiss to Buck’s jaw before dropping his head onto his chest and pulling the duvet up around himself. He closes his eyes, the sound of Buck’s even heartbeat beneath him. “We don’t deserve you,” Eddie says.“Wait until you find out he wants you to be Tommy.”
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan “Buck” Buckley & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: white house AU [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1677313
Comments: 59
Kudos: 255





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> oh hello! as much as i tried (i didn't) i cant stay away from this verse so here's a little halloween three-parter. title from baby you're a haunted house by gerard way. 
> 
> [all mistakes are my own AKA this is unbeta'd and most likely chock full of typos]

“If these motherfuckers don’t start cooperating, I swear on everything holy I’m going to come unhinged.”

“Hello to you, too,” Eddie says, stepping into the Oval Office. Buck’s sitting behind his desk, head snapping up at the sound of Eddie’s voice. Of all people to walk in and catch him talking to himself, Eddie’s one of the better options. Still, a flush creeps onto his cheeks as he realizes his mini-outburst was heard by ears other than his own. 

He winces, tucking whatever was in his hands into the desk drawer behind him and pinching the bridge of his nose. “That probably sounded really bad.”

Eddie shrugs. “I’ve heard worse,” he says, crossing the room to Buck’s desk. He places a folder down on the shiny wood and lowers his voice as he adds, “Especially from that mouth.”

Buck’s cheeks burn for an entirely different reason. 

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” Buck asks once he’s got his breath back again. 

“Just dropping off your copy of the travel plan for this weekend.” 

“You could’ve had an aide do that.” 

“And miss that gem of a one-liner? It’s a good thing I didn’t,” Eddie smirks.

“You missed me that much, huh?” Buck raises an eyebrow. 

Eddie bites back a grin. “Maybe. But you’re not getting off that easy. Trying to change the subject, Mr. President? I don’t think so.” 

He grabs the folder he just placed on the desk and takes it over to one of the sofas. He drops down onto one of them, placing the folder on the coffee table between them. 

Buck takes a seat across from him, knowing full well they aren’t about to talk about the travel plan. Rather, it’s all a guise for the cameras nestled in the ceiling, should anything ever happen that renders their footage pulled. Since they don’t record audio, they just have to look the part. Something they’ve mastered in the nearly two years Buck’s called 1600 Penn home. 

“What’s going on?” Eddie asks. “You’re stressed.”

“Comes with the job.” 

Eddie gives Buck the look. The you’re-full-of-shit-and-we-both-know-it look. “Not for you, it doesn’t.” 

“It’s nothing,” Buck insists, leaning back against the soft blue cushions. 

“Didn’t sound like nothing,” Eddie points out. “Is it the Supreme Court bill?” 

“You mean lack thereof?” Despite Buck proposing the removal of lifetime appointments for the Supreme Court at his State of the Union, Congress has yet to act on his proposal. They adjourned in August without any action towards even writing the bill, let alone putting it to a vote. And now, the beginning of October, they’re back in session and nothing’s changed. Despite being at his wit’s end over it, Buck’s frustration earlier was completely unrelated. “No, it wasn’t that. You’re going to lose what little respect you have left for me.” 

Eddie raises an eyebrow. “Try me.” 

“I was playing Animal Crossing.” 

“You were not.”

Buck nods. “I was. Chris has been begging me so I got it and I…” 

Eddie can’t keep the knowing grin off his face. “You’re hooked, aren’t you?” 

He nods. “Yeah.”

“Do I need to hold onto it until you’re done your homework?” Eddie teases. As much as he’s joking, his strategy for managing his eight year old son’s video game consumption might be Buck’s – and the country’s – best bet at this point. 

“You honestly might,” Buck replies. “Did you hear that Chris wants me to be Tom Nook for Halloween?” 

Eddie laughs out loud at that. “Dressing up as a raccoon con man for the White House trick or treating would go over great. I say go for it.”

Buck grins. “Don’t threaten me with a good time, Diaz.” A moment passes before the smile falls from his face and he adds, “If I could go trick or treating for real I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

“I know,” Eddie says with a sigh. Last year– Buck’s first year in the White House– Christopher was with Shannon, so it was a non-issue. But this year, Chris will be with his dad and Buck will be at the White House. And besides that, as far as the public knew, their President was a single man. If they saw him out and about and playing house with his lead agent and his son, it would be pure, unadulterated insanity. 

Between Buck and Christopher, Eddie isn’t sure who’s more upset that the President can’t come trick or treating around D.C. “Carla said she’ll bring him to the trick or treat event here, though,” Eddie reminds him. 

Buck’s phone starts to go off just as he’s about to say  _ It’s not the same.  _ He checks it quickly, groans, and tosses it onto the cushions beside him. 

Eddie smiles knowingly, standing up. “I’ll let you get back to it,” he says. “I’ll see you tonight though, yeah?” 

“Hell yeah,” Buck says, calm rushing over him at the thought of Eddie sneaking into the residence after his shift and spending the night. “It’s the only thing getting me through this day.” 

“That and your little capitalist utopia,” Eddie remarks. 

“Maybe you  _ should _ hide the Switch. I have a lot to do and none of it’s getting done as long as it’s in arm’s reach.” He grabs the folder from the coffee table between them and opens it up. He pulls a pen from the cup on the table, biting the cap off and signing his name at the bottom of the page without so much as a glance at the plan.

Eddie’s brow furrows. “You’re not going to read that?” 

Buck passes Eddie the folder. “You wrote it, right?” 

Eddie nods. 

“Then nope. No need, I trust you.” 

Ideally, Eddie would have a moment or two to process the gravity of Buck’s statement; he’d take a beat to acknowledge the warm rush through his veins at Buck’s complete, all-encompassing, irrevocable trust in him. But the phone on Buck’s desk starts ringing, which is Eddie’s cue to head back outside and count down the minutes until the day’s end.

It feels like the minutes have passed like molasses in winter by the time Buck finally wraps up for the day. The night agents are outside the door to the Oval when he steps out, which means Eddie’s no doubt waiting for him. Sure enough, the first thing Buck sees when he walks through the doors to the residence are Eddie’s shoes by the door. 

“Hey, you,” he calls out. He doesn't get a response, but when he rounds the corner and steps into the living room he realizes why. Eddie’s curled up on the couch, all but hugging his knees to his chest. He’s snoring softly, his chest rising and falling gently beneath the Yale sweatshirt he undoubtedly swiped from Buck’s dresser. 

Buck drops down beside him, crouching in the space between the couch and the coffee table. He drops a kiss to Eddie’s forehead. 

Eddie stirs a little, eyes still closed as he hums contentedly. “Hi baby,” Buck murmurs, running a hand through Eddie’s dark hair. Eddie’s eyes open slowly, blinking twice before he registers Buck in front of him. 

“Hi,” he replies, voice thick with sleep. “Sorry.” He sits up slowly, then stands, offering Buck a hand and pulling him up from the ground. 

“Don’t be,” Buck says. “I took forever.”

Eddie leans forward, capturing Buck’s lips in a kiss. “Well, good thing you’re worth the wait.” 

When Eddie’s eyes open, it’s still pitch black in the room, save for a faint blue glow beside him. He turns over, only to see the blue glow is illuminating Buck’s face. “What's wrong?” Eddie half-asks, half-mumbles. 

“Nothing,” Buck replies. “Sorry, did I wake you?” 

Eddie blinks, the clock on the nightstand coming into view. “It’s almost three in the morning,” he points out, sitting up. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” Buck insists. “Go back to sleep.” 

Eddie leans over to get a look at the screen, resting his head on Buck’s shoulder. “You’re shopping for Animal Crossing Halloween costumes,” Eddie says, matter-of-fact. “At three in the morning.”

“I told you to go back to sleep,” Buck says in his own defense. “I promised Chris I would help him find the best Timmy costume there is.” 

Eddie presses a kiss to Buck’s jaw before dropping his head onto his chest and pulling the duvet up around him. He closes his eyes, the sound of Buck’s even heartbeat beneath him. “We don’t deserve you,” Eddie says.

“Wait until you find out he wants you to be Tommy.” 


	2. Two

“Are you even listening to me?” 

Maddie tears her gaze away from the window to meet her brother’s eyes. “Sorry. Yeah. I’m listening. You said 1:00?” 

Buck raises an eyebrow, as if to challenge her words. “2:30,” he says. “We land at 2:30. And then we’re boots on the ground. We’ve got that meeting with the chef.” 

“Got it.”

“You sure?” 

Maddie nods, despite missing the majority of what Buck said. She’d rather get the information off the written agenda or from someone else later on than give him the satisfaction of admitting she completely zoned out. But there's only so much of Buck prattling on about candy brands and balloon arches and vendor meetings that she can take before her brain starts liquifying. 

“You okay?” Maddie asks, nudging Buck’s foot with her own beneath the table. 

Buck nods, eyes glued to the papers in front of him. “Yeah, why?” 

“Last year you didn’t want anything to do with this,” she says, tapping the folder in his hands labeled WHITE HOUSE HALLOWEEN. “This year, I can’t get you to delegate anything.”

He shrugs. She’s right – last year, it was Buck’s first Halloween at the White House and he wasn’t exactly thrilled. He was pining over Eddie and stressed about his healthcare announcement and admittedly let his once-favorite holiday take the back burner. 

He still showed up to the White House trick or treat event, greeted the kids with Maddie, and pushed out a few obligatory social media posts. But his heart wasn’t in it. Not like this year, anyway. 

This time around, he started planning back in July, coincidentally right around the time that Eddie causally mentioned he’d have Christopher for Halloween and Christmas this year. Buck was determined to make it the most fun White House Halloween there’d ever been– Chris was coming after all, so it had to be perfect. 

For months, he’s been making it a point to carve out time in his schedule to meet personally with vendors, landscapers, photographers, and event planners. If you ask Maddie, he’s been running himself ragged between this, getting his bill to Congress, and his newfound video game addiction. 

If you ask Buck, planning this day– though he wouldn’t even think of leaving it in anyone else’s hands– may very well be more stressful than having the nuclear codes at his fingertips. Though with the event scheduled for the day before Halloween, it’s a nice distraction from the crushing weight of knowing what he’s missing out on the following evening. 

The excitement on Christopher’s face while asking Buck to come trick or treating, quickly dissolving into disappointment when he told him he couldn’t? It’s something Buck doesn’t think he’ll forget any time soon. His sad eyes, smile falling before twisting into a frown– it pulls on Buck’s heart each time it flashes through his memory. 

He shoves the thought down as he pores through the documents in the folder. “Well it’s go time. Tomorrow’s the event and then Halloween is the next day. Once all that’s over, you can drag me back into the boring bureaucratic crap. Deal?”

She laughs. “Deal.”

“You’re going to that party with Chim, right?” he asks. 

She hesitates. “I don’t have to. Not if it means you’re going to be home alone on Halloween.” 

“Maddie,” Buck says, glancing up at her. “You want to go, right?”

She nods. Of course she wants to spend the holiday with her boyfriend. Buck shoves down a pang of jealousy. 

As it turns out, no one really cares that the President’s Chief of Staff is dating a Secret Service agent. When Maddie and Chim started spending more and more time together and quietly went public, the only outlet that even picked it up was some 60-second news show on Snapchat. 

Buck loves his sister more than anything, and there’s nothing he wants more than to see her happy. And Chim makes her happier than anyone he’s ever seen her. But, he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t hard to watch the two of them doing all the regular-people things he took for granted before. All the things he longs to do with Eddie– the things he knows are still years away. 

“You should go,” Buck insists. “I’m serious.”

“You know we’ll stay in with you if that’s what you want. I can get Chim to bring a movie and some junk food and we can make a night of it.”

“I know,” Buck says, smiling. “And you’re the best for that. Both of you. But I want you to go out and have fun. ‘Kay?”

She nods. “Okay. Then yes, I’m going.”

The following morning, Eddie wakes up to lips on his shoulder, then on his neck, then his jaw. “Mmm,” he mumbles. “Morning.” 

“Hey, you,” Buck says, voice low in Eddie’s ear. “I have to get going in a few, but you should sleep in. I’ll be on the lawn, so it should be easy enough for you to sneak out.” 

Eddie glances at the clock on the nightstand, blinking twice. “And just where are you going at 6:17 on a Saturday morning?” he asks, turning over to face Buck. Never in his life did he think he’d see Buck up this early willingly. And on a Saturday, no less? With Eddie in bed beside him, naked as the day he was born? It must be a cold, cold day in hell. 

“Today’s the big day, babe,” Buck replies, pressing a quick kiss to Eddie’s lips before sitting up and throwing back the blankets. “I have a lot to do.” E ddie grumbles something about the crack of dawn, hell freezing over, and pigs flying, but Buck’s already out of bed and on his way to the shower. 

Despite Buck’s insistence that Eddie sleep in, he has to get up anyway. He needs to go pick up Christopher from Shannon’s house and drop him off with Carla before he heads back to the White House to work the event in the afternoon, so he heads home first so he can get a shower and change his clothes. 

It took all of ten minutes for Eddie, who won’t negotiate with actual, literal terrorists, to give in and agree to wear a Tommy Nook costume alongside his eight-year-old on Halloween. Not his proudest moment, but hey. He loves his son, alright? 

Since Eddie can’t wear a costume while he’s working the White House event and Christopher was horrified at Eddie’s suggestion that he wear his Timmy costume anyway ( _I can't be Timmy without Tommy, Dad! They're a package deal!_ ) Buck offered to help Chris with a costume to wear to the White House. Neither of them would tell Eddie what it was, just that Carla was on board and would make sure Chris was in costume and ready to go as long as Eddie dropped him off on his way to work. 

Once he’s dropped Chris off and made it back to the White House, Eddie heads to the Oval Office. He’s surprised Buck is in there at all– it seemed like he would be spending his afternoon micromanaging all of the event prep on the lawn. He’s chatting with Chim outside the doors to the Oval when he hears a string of curse words from the other side of the wall. 

“Fuck!” Buck shouts, slamming the phone down onto the receiver. “Fucking shit.” 

He drops his head to his hands, elbows resting on the desk as he takes a long, shaky breath. It doesn’t help, anger still coursing through his body, bubbling up and over. He sweeps his arm across the desk, sending the phone flying across the room, where it lands with a loud  _ boom.  _

Eddie doesn’t bother knocking. He’s through the door in a second, eyes scanning the room on instinct. Bobby must have had the same thought, as he rushes in from the other entrance just a moment behind Eddie. 

“I’m fine,” Buck insists as they quickly sweep the room. “Sorry. It’s fine.” 

“You sure?” Bobby asks. Buck nods. 

Bobby glances at Eddie, shrugs, and then steps back outside. Eddie lingers in the doorway.

“I’m fine,” Buck repeats, eyes still locked on the wood of his desk. “They’re not going to introduce my bill. Sorry if I startled you guys.” 

Eddie  _ hates  _ that they’re at work right now. He hates that he can’t reach for him, can’t touch him, can’t wrap Buck in his arms and run a hand through his hair and promise him everything will be okay. Not when the door is open behind him and anyone could walk past at a moment’s notice. “Mr. President–”

“No,” says Buck, head snapping up. It’s enough for Eddie to take a step inside, closing the door behind himself. Buck continues. “None of that. I can’t anymore, Eddie, I just... “ his voice trails off. He runs his hands through his hair, exhaling a long breath through his nose. “I need a timeout.”

Eddie’s brow furrows. “Like a child?” 

“What? No. I… I need to just be us right now. No Mr. President, no Special Agent Diaz. Just you and me. Just us.” He glances around at the Oval Office, shaking his head. “We need to exist outside of this giant steaming pile of shit that I somehow got us into.”

Eddie nods. Without saying anything, he takes a few steps forward until his back is against the north window, where the cameras won’t pick him up.

Buck rises from his chair and follows him. 

“Listen to me,” Eddie says quietly. “This job– your job, this steaming pile of shit, as you so eloquently put it– it brought us together. On the worst days, that’s what I hold on to. Just don't lose sight of that.” 

Buck says nothing, just brings a hand to the side of Eddie’s face, running his thumb over the light stubble ghosting across his jawline. 

Eddie pulls Buck against his chest, wrapping his arms around him and holding him close. He can all but feel the tension leave Buck’s body, the bright sparks coursing through his blood fizzling out with each beat of their hearts as one. 

“You'll make it happen,” Eddie says into Buck’s hair. "You got this." 

Buck’s reply is muffled against Eddie’s chest. “Doesn’t always feel like it. Everyone’s against me.”

“I’m not,” Eddie murmurs. “I’m on your team, Buckley. Always.”

Buck leans his head back just enough to be able to meet Eddie’s gaze. 

“What?” Eddie asks. 

“Nothing. Just… you’re my best friend. And I really want to kiss you right now.” 

Eddie smiles. “It’s mutual.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading and for such kind comments on the first chapter! i am so touched that so many people love this little verse as much as i do <3


	3. Three

Buck has outdone himself, truly. Eddie glances around about twenty minutes in, and it’s nothing but a sea of excited children and smiling parents on the White House lawn. From where he stands a few feet away from Buck and Maddie, he can tell that everyone’s having a great time.

Buck is, of course, the star of the show, the first president in years to have dressed up for the kids. He’s clad in his typical suit, but his tie is loose and the top few buttons of his shirt are undone, revealing a blue Superman shirt beneath. A pair of glasses with thick, dark rims sit on the bridge of his nose, and Eddie would be lying if he said he didn’t want to jump his bones right then and there. 

A few more minutes pass, and then there’s a low beep in Eddie’s ear as his radio clicks on. “Daddy, Daddy, Christopher.” 

Eddie’s brow furrows behind his sunglasses. What the hell? He brings his wrist up to his mouth, speaking quietly into the receiver. “Chris?” 

There’s just laughter in response, what sounds like Christopher’s and Chim’s. And definitely Hen, too. Eddie looks around until he spots them. Sure enough, they’re by the main gate, Hen and Chim pointing at where Eddie’s standing as Christopher’s eyes scan the crowd. He finally gets a good look at Christopher, and it takes every ounce of strength he has not to laugh out loud.

Chris is dressed head to toe in a black suit, just like the one Eddie’s wearing. He’s got a pair of aviator sunglasses on, his hair slicked back, and a coiled wire running from his ear down the back collar of his suit jacket. There’s a watch on his wrist and a badge on his belt. 

Hen and Karen’s son Denny stands beside him, dressed in a matching suit. Though instead of the badge and wire, he’s got a royal blue tie and an American flag pin on his lapel. 

He realizes he must have cracked and let a smile sneak onto his face, because as soon as they make eye contact with him, Hen and Chim double over with laughter. Christopher gives Hen a high five, and then takes Carla’s hand and follows her, Karen, and Denny to the line of trick or treaters waiting for a piece of candy from the President. 

Buck breaks into one of the biggest grins Eddie’s ever seen when the boys step forward for their turn with him. Although members of the press corps are milling around and snapping pictures, Buck makes a point to wave over the official White House photographer for a picture with the two boys. 

“Hold on,” he says after the first shot. He waves Eddie over. “Special Agent Diaz.” 

Eddie doesn’t hesitate, stepping forward and standing beside Buck. As much as Buck wants to press his side up against Eddie’s and throw an arm around his shoulder, he doesn’t. Instead, he places a hand on Denny’s shoulder, Eddie with his own on Christopher’s as they beam for the camera. 

“That’s the shot of the day,” the photographer muses, flashing a thumbs up. “Great costumes, boys.” 

The boys thank him and then turn back to Buck and Maddie. Eddie moves to return to his spot, but Buck’s pinky is quick to brush against his, silently willing him to stay, even if just for a few seconds more. “You have outdone yourself,” Eddie says, voice low. “In more ways than one.” 

Buck grins as he drops candy into the boys’ bags. “It was all his idea. I just got him the suit. Carla did the rest.” 

Eddie can’t help but laugh at that as he steps back to his stationed part of the lawn. Of course it was. God, how’d he manage to hit the kid jackpot of such epic proportions?

He pretends not to notice as Buck sneaks an extra few pieces of candy to Chris and Denny with a wink before they say goodbye and run back to where Carla and Karen are waiting. Buck had carnival games, cotton candy machines, and a petting zoo brought in, and there are servers walking around with trays of candy for the kids and craft beers for the adults. 

It’s every child’s fantasy land, which makes perfect sense seeing as Buck can’t be more than twelve years old at his very core. The rest of the afternoon passes in a blur, Eddie unable to quell the stirring in his chest each time his gaze lands on Buck. He can’t get enough of watching him greeting costume-clad children, the smile on his face so big and bright that his eyes crinkle behind his Clark Kent glasses. Eddie thinks it’s a good thing he’s wearing sunglasses, because he’s pretty sure his pupils have shape-shifted into hearts, nothing but love and adoration oozing out of his pores with each breath he takes. 

“That was amazing,” Eddie says later, once everyone’s gone home and the clean up has begun. They’re back inside the Oval, after Buck’s insistence he spends some time trying to rework his bill before heading to the residence for the night. Eddie’s standing in the open doorway, careful to refrain from walking all the way in without an excuse– just in case should anyone get nosy and start asking questions. “You sure about this politics thing? I think event planning may be your true calling.” 

Buck looks up from the desk, a loose grin plastered on his face. He’s still wearing the glasses that go with his costume and Eddie is _not_ complaining. “I wanted it to be special.”

“Well, you succeeded. Chris is never going to forget it.” 

“That was kind of the idea.” 

Eddie looks over his shoulder before stepping inside and lowering his voice. “I know,” he says. “And I can’t tell you how much that means to me.” His voice breaks halfway through his sentence, taking him by surprise.

“All I want to do is make that kid smile,” Buck says. “And you, too.”

Eddie takes a deep breath, willing himself not to melt into the carpet beneath his feet. Smiling softly, he repeats his words from the day before. “It’s mutual.” 

Buck’s still in the Oval when Eddie leaves a few hours late to relieve Carla. It’s eight o'clock when one of the night agents shows up to tag him out. The next time Buck looks up from the bill in front of him, it’s half past eleven. He still has a ways to go on it, in his attempt to clean it up and rewrite a few sections to hopefully get it to the point where one of the senators will agree to introduce it. 

He knows he should call it a night and go to bed, but it’s serving as a good distraction from all he’ll be missing out on the following day. So instead of heading to the residence for the night, he starts walking the White House halls in search of a cup of coffee. The agents and the aide outside the door remind him that there are people who can go get the coffee for him, but Buck needs to stretch his legs and clear his head, even if only for a minute.   
What he really needs is Eddie beside him, acting as his sounding board as Buck bounces ideas off him. Maddie’s the next best thing, but it’s the middle of the night and he’d never hear the end of it if he woke her up from her much-deserved sleep for something that could certainly wait until the morning. So, coffee. Coffee it is.

He remembers from his days as a senator that the machine by the VP’s office is the best one by far, including the one in the White House kitchen. Definitely worth the walk across the wing. As quiet as it is this time of night around the Oval, this side of the building seems to be much more awake, with lights on and voices coming from nearly every office he passes. 

He helps himself to a heavy pour, his hand brushing against someone else’s as he reaches for the sugar.   
“Wait your turn,” the woman says, snatching it off the countertop. He looks over and realizes it’s one of the VP’s night agents. Upon glancing over and realizing who’s standing beside her, she gasps. “Mr. President. Oh my god. I’m so sorry.” She nearly drops the sugar shaker in her haste to pass it to Buck. “Here. Sorry. Oh my god. You can have it.” 

He laughs, sliding it back to her. “Please,” he says. “After you. You’re right, it was your turn.” 

“No, please,” she says, sliding it back. 

He shakes his head fondly, grabbing it from the counter and opening the lid. He holds it over her cup. “Say when,” he instructs. 

“When,” she says after a beat. Her cheeks are burning bright red, the flush creeping all the way down her neck and disappearing beneath the collar of her blouse. “Thank you, sir.”

“Don’t mention it,” he says with a warm smile, dumping some into his own cup before grabbing a stirrer. 

“What are you doing here?” She immediately brings her hands up to cover her mouth. “Oh my god, I’m sorry. That sounded so rude. I just meant… you’re far from the Oval. And without agents.” 

“They let me come down here alone,” he replies. “Made me promise to be back before the clock strikes midnight or I’ll turn back into a pumpkin, though. Which is a fate worth the risk, by the way. I have a lot to get done and this machine makes the hottest coffee on all of Pennsylvania Avenue, I’m convinced.” 

She nods. “You’re not wrong. So what, you’re working on your Supreme Court bill?”

“How’d you know?” 

She shrugs. “You’ve never been one to take no for an answer. Not when it’s something you care about.” She tosses the stirrer from her cup into the garbage and takes a sip. “Anyway, I should get back to the Veep. Sorry for… all of this,” she says, gesturing to the counter with the coffee supplies. 

Buck stands there for a second, letting her words sink in. He grabs his mug from the counter and hurries back down the hallway. He doesn’t have a second to waste.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> decided to turn this into four chapters instead of three! updated the rating in anticipation of some ~shenanigans~ coming up in chapter four


	4. Four

It’s a few minutes after four o’clock when there’s a knock on Eddie’s front door. His brow furrows. Karen and Denny aren’t even supposed to be here for another half hour. 

The knocking gets louder. He swears under his breath, running out from his bedroom to grab the door. He was in the middle of getting dressed for trick or treating, the buttons on his Hawaiian shirt still undone as he grabs the bowl of candy off the kitchen counter and pulls the door open. 

“Trick or treat.” 

Eddie’s mouth falls open. He’d know that voice anywhere. The raccoon mask, Hawaiian shirt, khakis, and two Secret Service agents behind him is also a bit of a dead giveaway.

Buck stifles a laugh beneath his mask as he watches Eddie’s eyes light up. “Chris!” he calls behind him into the apartment. “We’ve got a trick or treater.”

“Wait for me!” Christopher calls out. Buck can’t help but laugh at that, his smile growing even bigger as Chris rounds the corner in his costume, only for his jaw to drop as he sees who it is. “Bucky!” he shouts, running up to Buck and throwing his arms around his waist. 

“What?! How’d you know it was me?” He pulls his mask off dramatically. 

Chris giggles. He looks up at him, eyes bright, and says, “‘Cause I knew you would come.” 

Buck’s caught off guard by a sudden wave of emotion. He blinks back the tears that suddenly fill his eyes, tousling Christopher’s hair. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world, buddy.”

Eddie’s chewing on the inside of his lip in an attempt to keep his own emotions at bay. He could live one thousand lifetimes and still never tire of watching the two of them together.  “C’mon,” Eddie says, stepping aside to let Buck, Bobby, and Hen inside. At Christopher’s insistence, Buck follows him to his bedroom to see his stash of candy from the White House. 

Eddie turns to Bobby and Hen, who are dressed in street clothes and look like your run-of-the-mill D.C. parents.

“How?” he asks, buttoning up his shirt and running a hand through his hair. If it were anyone else accompanying Buck off-site last minute and into a residential neighborhood on one of the busiest nights of the year, Eddie would be halfway to an aneurysm by now. But he’s never doubted Buck’s in anything but the best hands when the core team is around. 

“I mean, you know him,” Hen says. “Doesn’t take no for an answer.”

Buck rounds the corner just then, placing his mask on the kitchen counter and hopping up to sit beside it. “It’s true,” he says. “I don’t. But you knew that.”

Bobby rolls his eyes, confirming what he knows Eddie’s looking for. “Everything’s taken care of.” 

Eddie nods, turning to Buck. “Are you wearing-”

“A vest? Yep,” Buck says, anticipating Eddie’s words before he has a chance to finish his sentence. “Secret Service-issued Kevlar,” he says, lifting his own Hawaiian shirt to reveal the vest beneath. 

“And his mask is full coverage,” Hen offers.

Eddie nods, satisfied. “Cars?” 

Bobby takes this one. “We’ve got four waiting at various points in the neighborhood. You'll have to stay within a three block radius.” 

“And how many agents?”

“Six undercover on the streets, four waiting inside the cars stationed around the neighborhood. Bobby will stay here and I’ll come with you.” 

“Won’t that look suspicious?” Buck chimes in. 

“Not once her wife and son get here,” Bobby points out. 

Eddie chews on the inside of his cheek, arms crossed as he runs scenarios in his mind. After a moment, he looks up at Buck. “You keep that mask on the entire time we’re outside,” he half-says, half-demands. “I don’t care how hot it is– don’t even think about touching it. And you don’t go up to anyone’s doorstep without me. Stay on the sidewalk.” 

Buck salutes. “Yes, sir.” He knows how Eddie gets when it comes to his safety, and tonight is no exception. But he'd be lying if he said it didn't turn him on, even just a little. 

Eddie nods again, racking his brain for anything he might have forgotten. “How long?” 

“An hour outside, tops,” Hen says. “But he can be in here as long as he wants.” 

Eddie ignores the way Buck wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. “That’s as long as Chris’ll last anyway,” he says, thinking out loud. He takes a deep breath before nodding once more. “Okay. Yeah, this works.” 

Buck’s face softens, tension slipping away as he realizes they’re actually going to pull this off. “Fuck yeah,” he grins. “You guys are the best.” 

Eddie pulls Hen and Bobby into a tight hug.

  
"Bucky, look!" Chris shouts excitedly. They're about ten minutes in and it's already a challenge to keep up with Chris and Denny, who are already sugared up and hurrying from house to house. Buck looks over, following Chris's finger to where it's pointed at the front steps of a brownstone. There's a couple sitting on the stoop, dressed as Mario and Luigi. 

"No way!" Buck replies. Before Chris had convinced him (and Eddie) that the Nooks were the move for Halloween this year, there was lots of talk of Mario and Luigi. Ultimately, Chris decided on the Nooks because there are three of them and "That way Bucky can do it too," which yes, still makes Buck's chest squeeze when he thinks about it, thank you very much. 

"Can we say hi?" Chris asks. 

Eddie nods. "Of course."

Denny runs ahead to another house with Karen and Hen while they make their way up the steps. Eddie and Buck hang back as Chris walks up to the couple and holds out his pumpkin-shaped bucket. "Trick or treat!"

He's rewarded with a handful of candy, his bucket already decently full after only visiting a few houses. He tells the couple he likes their costumes, which is met with "Thanks, bud!" from the guy dressed as Luigi.

The guy dressed as Mario says, "I like yours, too. Your dads must be pretty cool to dress up with you like that." 

Buck's breath catches in his throat as he waits for Christopher's response, half-expecting him to correct the man. He's anticipating Chris possibly blowing his cover and letting these strangers know that he actually just has one dad, and the other guy in the mask is just the President of the United States. 

But Chris just nods excitedly. "They're the best!" 

Buck's eyes flood with tears for the second time in as many hours, furiously trying to blink them back. Christopher's complete lack of hesitation and failure to correct these strangers has him feeling warm all over, his heart thumping rapidly in his chest. 

Eddie's hand finds his almost immediately, lacing their fingers together and squeezing. 

They wave at the couple, thanking them as Christopher makes his way back down the steps. He's still got one hand in Eddie's, and when Chris grabs onto his other one as they start making their way back down the block, Buck feels like he's floating.

Despite the way the vest beneath his shirt itches his skin, the sweat beading on the back of his neck, and the funky smell clinging to the inside of the mask, Buck glances over at Eddie on his right side and Christopher on his left and knows without a doubt there's nowhere on Earth he'd rather be.

“Dad!” Christopher shouts from his bedroom. They've been back at Eddie's for a while now, long enough to order pizza and turn on a movie. The boys ditched the movie not too long ago, running off to play in Christopher's room while the adults got to work on a six-pack in the kitchen. “Can I have a sleepover at Denny’s? We and I want to count all of our candy and do a trade.” 

Eddie smiles. It’s hard not to, when he can practically hear Christopher’s ear-to-ear grin as he speaks. He glances up at Karen, who nods. “Fine with me,” she says. 

“You sure?”

“Absolutely.”

Eddie mouths  _ thank you.  _ Buck blows her a kiss. 

“Please, Dad?” Christopher begs, appearing in the kitchen with Denny. 

“Hmmm. What do you think, Mr. Nook?” Eddie asks, looking over at Buck. He’s long since ditched the mask, his hair now adorably tousled as he sits atop the kitchen counter nursing his beer. 

“Only if you promise not to have too much fun without us,” comes Buck’s reply. 

“I promise.” 

“Pinky promise?” 

Chris nods, extending his pinky. Buck jumps down from the counter and links his finger with Christopher’s. 

“Dad?” Chris asks, hopeful eyes as he looks up at his father. 

“Absolutely, buddy. Go get your stuff.” 

The two children erupt in cheers, running down the hallway to get Christopher’s things.

Eddie follows Karen and the boys downstairs and to the car to say goodbye while Buck tidies up the mess of candy wrappers and pizza boxes in the kitchen. 

Eddie lets himself back into the apartment a few minutes later, door closing behind him as Buck steps out into the living room. With Christopher now gone and Hen and Bobby stationed outside, they’re finally alone. 

“Hey,” Buck says, running a hand through his hair. “I was–”

Eddie’s practically buzzing. He doesn’t say anything, just steps forward and takes Buck’s face in his hands, walking him back against the wall. 

Buck snakes a hand up behind Eddie’s neck, the other knotting in the fabric of his shirt. For a second, they just stand there, foreheads touching, eyes locked, breath mingling in the mere millimeters of space between their lips. And then Buck surges forward, capturing Eddie’s lips with his own, and time stops. 

Eddie’s lips are soft beneath his, curling into a wicked smile as Buck drags his teeth along Eddie’s bottom lip. 

“What did I do,” Eddie says against Buck’s lips. “To deserve you?” 

“Was gonna ask you the same thing,” Buck whispers. “Today was perfect.” 

Eddie brushes a thumb against Buck’s cheek affectionately. “I love you,” he says. “Like, a lot.” 

“Good,” Buck replies, eyes bright. He brings his hands to Eddie’s hips, pulling him even closer. “You’ll be glad to know that it’s mutual.”

Eddie grins against Buck’s lips, the kiss starting off soft and sweet, only to end on the edge of filthy as he licks inside Buck’s mouth. 

Buck hums contentedly as one of Eddie’s hands plants firmly on the wall beside his face, just as he opens his legs so Eddie can step between them.

“Eddie,” Buck all but whines, tipping his head back as Eddie’s tongue makes its way down his neck. He feels like he’s on fire in the very best way.

Buck hikes Eddie’s shirt up by the hem, in far too big a rush to stop and work his way down all those buttons. He needs the sear of Eddie’s skin against his  _ now. _

His fingers fan out against Eddie’s stomach, running over warm skin and toned muscle as his heart pounds in his chest. 

Eddie takes a step back, Buck moving with him. They stumble around the corner and down the hallway, nothing but roaming hands, hurried kisses, and skin against skin until the back of Buck’s calves hit the side of the bed. 

He drops back onto the mattress, pulling Eddie down with him. 

“Off,” Eddie demands, tugging at the hem of Buck’s shirt. “Off, off, off.” 

He doesn’t hesitate, immediately lifting his arms so Eddie is able to pull it over his head and let it drop to the floor. The sound of the velcro on his vest ripping as Eddie tugs it off sends a chill up Buck’s spine in the best way. The second it’s off, he comes up to rest on an elbow, meeting Eddie’s lust-blown eyes with his own. 

He inches up the mattress until his shoulders knock against the headboard. He arches his hips long enough to allow Eddie access to tug his pants off, tossing them carelessly to the floor alongside his own. 

And then he plants a hand on either side of Buck’s hips and drops his head and Buck swears he’s died and gone to heaven. Sparks run through him as Eddie noses at his hip, nipping and licking at the skin there before moving across his stomach. By the time he gets to the skin of his inner thigh, Buck thinks he might be melting into the mattress. 

“Eddie,” he gasps. “Come on.” 

Eddie hums against his skin, sending another round of sparks flying through his veins. He licks a stripe up the side of Buck’s dick and now Buck is absolutely certain he’s a goner. 

“Oh my god,” Buck breathes. “Are you waiting for a written invitation?” 

Eddie smirks, fingers digging into Buck’s hip to keep him still as he sucks a mark into the smooth skin of his upper thigh.

And then finally,  _ finally _ , he takes Buck into his mouth. 

Buck’s breath hitches in his throat, a hand coming up to the back of Eddie’s head, fingers knotting in his hair. He rolls his hips, eyes screwing shut as a wave of pleasure rockets through him. It doesn’t long before he’s a babbling mess, swearing and panting. “Eddie, fuck– Eddie, I’m gonna–” 

The second Eddie pulls off, Buck’s leaning over to the drawer of the night stand. He roots around for a second before brandishing a bottle of lube. 

“Right where I left it,” Buck says with a grin. Eddie rolls his eyes. It’s been over a month since Buck’s been here– since he’s been able to safely sneak out of the White House and come hang out with Chris and Eddie– and even longer since he and Eddie were alone and able to put the nightstand lube to good use. 

“I dunno,” Buck teases, tossing it Eddie’s way. “Bottle feels a little lighter than I remember. You been busy?”

“Only when I’m thinking about you.” 

Buck leans up and wraps a hand around Eddie’s neck, tugging him down so their lips can meet in a kiss. Eddie grins, nipping at Buck’s bottom lip. 

There are sparks behind Buck’s eyelids as Eddie slips two slicked-up fingers inside. He rolls his hips, rocking them in time with the thrust of Eddie’s fingers. “Greedy,” Eddie murmurs, dropping a kiss to Buck’s shoulder. 

“What do you expect?” Buck asks around a shaky breath. “You’re so good for me.” 

A blush creeps up Eddie’s neck at Buck’s words. He adds a third finger, nipping at Buck’s earlobe to distract him from the burn. 

It’s so good. It’s so good, Buck doesn’t know how he ever lived without this. Without Eddie. 

“God, Eddie,” Buck manages to get out, voice thick with lust, his breath coming in gasps. “ _ Please _ .”

Eddie will never get tired of seeing Buck like this, wrecked and begging. He slides his fingers out and moves up to kiss him, Buck’s lips curling into a smile beneath his as he lines himself up and presses in slowly. 

“Okay?” Eddie asks as he bottoms out. 

Buck nods, eyelashes fluttering as he gasps beneath Eddie’s touch. “So good,” he says hurriedly. 

Eddie rolls his hips and Buck swears under his breath, tipping his head back as a wave of pleasure courses through him.  Buck hooks his leg around Eddie’s hip, keeping him as close as possible as he rocks his hips, thrusting into him slowly. It feels like his skin is nothing but live wires, exposed and crackling to life with each passing second, with each touch.

Buck is reduced to nothing but sharp inhales of breath and punched-out moans. He claws at Eddie’s back, looking for purchase as Eddie thrusts into him, sparks exploding behind his eyelids each time. 

He can feel the heat pooling in his belly, his muscles beginning to tense. God, he’s so close. His breath starts coming faster, fingers knotting in the sheets as he gives himself over entirely to Eddie. 

And then Eddie stills, stopping completely. Buck whimpers. 

“Shhh,” Eddie murmurs. “I got you.” 

When he starts to move again, Buck isn’t sure he remembers how to breathe. He’s not even sure he remembers how to speak, all the words gone from his vocabulary except for  _ fuck, please, Eddie,  _ and  _ more. _

He’s  sucking in long gulps of air, his body shaking beneath Eddie’s touch. He’s a mess, fingers digging into Eddie’s hips to keep him in place as he rocks his hips to meet each thrust. 

And then Eddie pulls out. Buck wants to whine at the loss of contact, but instead takes the opportunity to turn over, pressing his face into a pillow and arching his back. His ass is in the air as he spreads his knees and waits on Eddie to finish what he started.   
Eddie slides back in, barely has a chance to move before Buck rocks his own hips back. When Eddie moves again, so does Buck, fucking himself back on Eddie’s dick shamelessly. 

“So good, baby,” Eddie says, dropping a kiss to Buck’s shoulder blade. “So good for me.”

Buck colors at the praise, biting down on his lip as Eddie moves again. 

Buck rolls his hips slowly, the moan that escapes Eddie’s lips beyond filthy. When he does it again, Eddie has to remind himself how to breathe. 

Buck wants nothing more than to bottle the tiny, punched-out noises Eddie’s making. Wants to keep them forever, to drink in every inch of him he possibly can. 

“Eddie,” Buck pants. He’s torn between wanting to come and wanting to do this all night– but if the pooling heat inside him is any indication, he’s not going to last much longer. “Baby, come on, please.” 

Eddie’s hand finds Buck’s dick, stroking it in time with his thrusts.  All it takes is Eddie’s whispered “So perfect,” his breath ghosting across Buck’s skin – he comes with a gasp, his fingers knotted in the sheets so hard he can’t be sure he didn’t rip them. 

Eddie’s right behind him.  His orgasm rips through him, half a moan on his lips as he stills, his body trembling as he comes down. 

Buck takes a long, deep breath as Eddie pulls out and presses a kiss to the back of his neck. “God,” Eddie breathes.

“No, you are,” Buck smirks, rolling over. Eddie collapses onto him and drops his head, their lips meeting in a soft kiss. 

“You love me,” Buck says simply, wrapping his arms around Eddie’s waist and holding him to his chest. 

“Oh, do I?” 

“I showed up here unannounced, dressed head-to-toe as a greedy, scheming, capitalist raccoon con-artist and you still wanted to fuck me,” Buck points out. “If that’s not love, I’m not sure what is.”

Eddie smacks him playfully. “It’s love.” His eyes soften as he runs the back of his hand over Buck’s cheek affectionately. “I love you.” 

Buck’s eyes are bright, glistening in the low light of Eddie’s bedroom as he says, “It’s mutual.” 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! i'm still kind of new to writing smut so bear with me!   
> and stay tuned for more in this verse coming soon :)


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